Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Forget the NFL’s foray into Toronto, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are bracing for their own American incursion.

An army of fans from the neighbouring state of North Dakota is mobilizing on the other side of the 49th parallel in anticipation of Weston Dressler’s CFL debut on Saturday against the Edmonton Eskimos. The Bismarck native, a former star at the University of North Dakota, is expecting an assortment of family and friends — with more ticket requests on the way.

“I’ve had a couple already,” Dressler said with a smile following Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “Hopefully we’ll get some of those people from North Dakota up here and get them to experience a Roughrider game. It’s a little bit different game but it’s a lot of fun (to play) and it’s fun to watch. I know they’ll love it.”

Leading the northward march are the charter members of Dressler’s burgeoning fan club: His parents Rick and Val, along with his two brothers, Travis and Ryan. They’re all slated to make the 61/2-hour drive to Regina on Saturday.

“Everybody is excited and we’re all proud of him,” Val Dressler said from Bismarck. “There’s 13 of us so far but others are still trying. We have a pretty big family and more would like to come. Tickets are going fast so they’re scrambling to make their plans.”

Dressler’s parents visited Regina two weeks ago to attend a preseason game against the B.C. Lions. The contest was Dressler’s unofficial pro debut — and his family’s first live taste of Canadian football.

“We got a little feel of it, but this is even more exciting now that we know he made the team,” noted Val. “With the advent of the Internet we’ve done a lot of research (on the CFL). Some of the rules are different from what we’re used to in the States, but it makes it more interesting. We know a lot more than what we did a couple months ago, that’s for sure.”

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